Department for Transport

Shipping: Waste Disposal

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to require all ships above a certain tonnage, docking in the United Kingdom, to show that they had landed all their plastic waste for safe disposal; and whether primary or secondary legislation would be needed for this purpose.

Baroness Kramer: The discharge, into the sea, of plastic from ships is already prohibited internationally and the UK has secondary legislation in place which includes the requirement for it to be landed to port waste reception facilities.   Before entry into a port the master of the ship is required to notify the quantity of plastic waste on board and to indicate whether it is for delivery at this port or their next point of call.

London Bridge Station

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the problems at London Bridge station and the risk to passenger safety reported in the media this week.

Baroness Kramer: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) - the independent safety regulator of Britain’s railways - has confirmed that they will carry out a review of the situation and investigate the circumstances that led to the events at London Bridge.   The Parliamentary Under Secretary for Transport, the Hon Member for Devizes (Claire Perry) and senior Departmental officials have had multiple meetings with senior industry representatives, most recently on 9 March, to discuss these events and to ensure improvements are put in place. Numerous discussions have also taken place with Southern and Network Rail since the incident; Network Rail, Southern and Southeastern will be conducting a full review into the events so that lessons can be learnt for the future. London Overground and Transport for London are similarly reviewing what happened with regard to the East London Line services.   The Department will work with the industry to ensure that any recommendations for change are implemented quickly.

Aviation: Ukraine

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 3 November 2014 (HL2234) concerning the crash of Malaysian Airways flight MH17, whether they will encourage the Dutch Safety Board to publish an interim report on their findings of the causes of the crash; whether the crash investigation team at Farnborough have completed their investigation of the black boxes; and if so, whether their findings will be published in the near future.

Baroness Kramer: The investigation is being conducted within the framework of Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation by the Dutch Safety Board (OVV). The OVV is an independent organisation, which makes its own decisions on when to publish its reports. We understand that the OVV expects to publish its final report within a year of the crash.   The OVV requested the assistance of the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to recover information stored within both flight recorders (Black Boxes). This work, which was completed on 25 July 2014, was carried out in the AAIB laboratories at Farnborough in the presence of the OVV, the Dutch police and a number of International participants. Subsequently, all of the recordings, and the recorders themselves, were handed back to the OVV and transported back to Holland. The AAIB did not conduct any analysis of the recordings and were not permitted to retain any copies of the information.

Eurostar

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in facilitating movement of new Eurostar trains between London and destinations other than those currently served.

Baroness Kramer: The Government is supportive of Eurostar’s plans for new services from London to Provence commencing May 2015 and new direct services from London to Amsterdam via Brussels stopping at Antwerp, Rotterdam and Schiphol Airport from December 2016.

Channel Tunnel: Fires

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the fire protection arrangements for lorries on shuttle trains using the Channel Tunnel.

Baroness Kramer: The fire protection arrangements for lorries on shuttle trains have been independently assessed and reviewed by the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority (CTSA) following previous Tunnel fires and most recently following the serious fire of 2008.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Saudi Arabia

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia following the decision of a Saudi Arabian court to sentence a man to death for renouncing his Muslim faith; and whether they consider such sentences to be compatible with Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as it relates to freedom of religion and belief.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: It is a matter of public record that the British Government strongly supports the right to freedom of religion or belief, which is severely restricted in Saudi Arabia. We believe, as Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and that this right includes freedom to change one’s religion or belief. Any action to punish an individual for their faith or belief is not compatible with Article 18.The UK has repeatedly made clear that it opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances because we believe it undermines human dignity and there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent. Ministers, our Ambassador, and our Embassy team in Riyadh frequently raise the issue of the death penalty with the Saudi authorities, bilaterally and through the EU.

Bahrain

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take in respect of encouraging the release from prison of Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights; and what discussions they have had with the government of Bahrain concerning torture of detainees and execution without trial of political prisoners.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are following Mr Rajab’s case closely. Our Ambassador in Bahrain has raised the case with the Government of Bahrain and encouraged the Bahraini authorities to ensure due process is followed and international norms of justice are upheld. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Tobias Ellwood), also raised the case with the Bahrain Ambassador on 9 March. Our officials attended Mr Rajab’s court appearance on 4 March to underline the UK’s interest in the case. The final hearing will be on 15 March.The UK regularly discusses issues of reform with the Government of Bahrain. I met Under Secretary Abdullah Abdullatif Abdullah on 2 March in Geneva where I stressed the importance of Bahrain accepting a technical assistance package with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. We also discussed Sheikh Ali Salman's case and the need for him to receive a fair trial. Our Ambassador in Bahrain has raised our concerns over allegations of torture and mistreatment with Bahraini ministers. In addition to voicing these concerns, the UK is providing practical assistance to the Government of Bahrain to prevent the use of torture and mistreatment, and to improve the accountability of the security forces.

Iran

Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their most recent assessment of Iran's compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1835 on nuclear non-proliferation.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Several of Iran's nuclear activities are in breach of UN Security Council Resolutions 1929 and 1835 but they are consistent with Iran's obligations under the November 2013 Geneva Interim agreement between the E3+3 and Iran. The E3+3 are currently trying to reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran, under which Iran would have a nuclear programme with agreed limits.

Palestinians

Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of bomb attacks against Fatah officials in the Gaza Strip.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are concerned by reports of bomb attacks targeting Fatah officials in Gaza in November 2014 and on 15 February 2015. Investigations are still ongoing in Gaza into who was responsible. Since the formation of the interim technocratic government, we have supported Prime Minister Hamdallah’s efforts to return the Palestinian Authority (PA) to effective control of the Gaza Strip, which would allow the PA to take action to address such reports.

Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they were consulted by the London School of Economics concerning its decision to refuse admittance to previously invited guests at a lecture by the Foreign Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ozdil Nami, on 17 February, because of threats of violence by Greek-Cypriot activists, and if so when; whether the Cyprus Embassy lodged any form of objection with them; and what response was tendered.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We were not consulted by the London School of Economics on the matters referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Maginnis, nor did the High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus lodge any objection with us.

Iran

Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Iran's financial and material support to Hezbollah.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain deeply concerned by Iran’s ongoing support to the military wing of Hizballah including the provision of financial resources, military equipment and training. This support undermines prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East and contravenes UN Security Council Resolution 1747, which prohibits the export of weapons by Iran.

Syria

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to involve those displaced by the conflict in Syria in any future peace process, in particular to ensure that the voices of minority groups are heard.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: It will be a vital part of any successful political settlement that the voices of minority groups in Syria are heard, and that they have reassurance about their future in the country. The Geneva I communique is clear on this point, and this remains the basis for UK efforts on the political track. As we make further progress on the political track, there will need to be a way of including views from displaced Syrians. The UK is supporting non-governmental efforts to promote dialogue between different ethnic and sectarian groups in Syria, with a view to a future political settlement.

Middle East

Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received any indication that the Palestinian Authority will respond to the framework document drafted by the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry; and if so, when and in what terms they expect it to do so.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We strongly commended US Secretary of State Kerry for his tireless efforts to deliver a final status deal. Whatever the disappointments of 2014, Secretary Kerry has made it clear that progress was made. But it is vital that Israel and the Palestinians take advantage of any momentum gathered. It is vital that they commit to restarting the process, and focus once again on finding common ground.

Middle East

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they have given towards a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are working closely with international partners to support efforts towards a two state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed this issue with US Secretary of State John Kerry on 21 February.In December 2013 we led EU efforts to set out an unprecedented package of political, economic and security support that Europe would offer to both parties in the event of a final status agreement. That package remains on the table should the parties return to negotiations. In the meantime, we remain strong supporters of Palestinian state-building efforts.

Palestinians

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the role played by Hamas; and what working relations they have with its government in Gaza.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government's assessment of Hamas, is that they must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements. Hamas must make credible movement towards these conditions, which remain the benchmark against which its intentions should be judged. We do not have any direct contact with Hamas.

Middle East

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the respect accorded to human rights by parties in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain seriously concerned about the human rights situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). Our principal concerns relate to the Israeli government’s violation of international human rights and humanitarian law in the context of Israel’s occupation of the OPTs, and the human rights abuses by Hamas in Gaza.

Occupied Territories

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was discussed in the most recent talks in Brussels on further measures the European Union could take to discourage further Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and Occupied Territories.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: On 2 March in Brussels Member States discussed measures the EU could take to discourage further Israeli settlement expansion. This meeting was held at working level and the contents are not disclosed publicly. No new measures have yet been agreed.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the "Leaked Memo, Ethiopia’s Destabilizing Policy Against Eritrea" issued by the Permanent Mission of Eritrea to the United Nations on 2 July 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain concerned about relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia. We have called on both sides to engage in dialogue and to respect the commitment they made in the December 2000 Algiers peace agreement to refrain from using force against each other. We will continue to encourage both Eritrea and Ethiopia to engage bilaterally and internationally to resolve their differences, particularly on the ongoing border dispute. We hope progress can be made towards demarcation in accordance with the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission.

Companies

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to verify the bona fides and relevant beneficial interests of companies registered in the Crown Dependencies and British Overseas territories.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government believes that a central register is the best way to improve transparency of company ownership and control. The Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories are separate jurisdictions with their own elected governments under which they are responsible for the bona fides and beneficial interests of companies registered in their jurisdiction. At the December Joint Ministerial Council the UK and Overseas Territory Leaders agreed to work together in raising international standards and to meet again to take forward implementation of the G20 principles on beneficial ownership. Dialogue has continued since the Joint Ministerial Council and we plan to meet again in the coming weeks.All jurisdictions, including the Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies, will be subject to assessment against the international standards for anti-money laundering set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). This will specifically look at the effectiveness of each country’s regimes, including those for beneficial ownership. These assessments will take place over the coming years and the results of them will be publicly available.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Students: Housing

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address rising house prices and their impact on university students.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government does monitor student income and expenditure which helps us to understand how students manage their finances while studying in higher education. It has been a longstanding principle of student support that grants and loans for living costs are generally paid as a contribution towards a student’s living costs rather than to cover them in their entirety.   Eligible students attending full-time undergraduate courses that are designated for student support can apply for fully means-tested Maintenance Grants and loans to help with living costs, 35% of which are based on a student’s household income. Maximum loans for living costs (sometimes known as maintenance loans) have been increased by 3.34% (using the forecast Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments [RPI-X] for 2015/16)

Higher Education: Research

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the estimated cost to universities and other higher education providers, and the total estimated cost to the public purse, of the Research Excellence Framework 2014; and what alternative methods of delivering value for money were considered and tested.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Research Excellence Framework (REF) was undertaken by the four higher education funding bodies for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. REF 2014 was managed by the REF team based at the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on behalf of these bodies. An independent evaluation of the costs of the REF 2014, commissioned by HEFCE will be published later this year.

EU Grants and Loans

Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to carry out a review of the European Structural and Investment Funds governance arrangements, including an evaluation of the role of local partners and the level of control they have over the funds for their area.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has established a governance model for the England 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme. It gives local partners a key advisory role. The Operational Programmes which set out the spending priorities for these Funds have been drafted to reflect priorities identified by local partners including Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). The Government will review the position on the governance model in the next twelve months and will work with LEPs and other local partners during this time to develop proposals for greater local responsibility.

EU Chief Scientific Adviser

The Earl of Caithness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had any discussions with Mr Juncker about the arrangements he is putting in place to replace the function of the post of Chief Scientific Adviser to the President of the European Commission; and what are those arrangements.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has discussed this matter with Carlos Moedas, the European Commissioner responsible for Research, Science and Innovation and with Commission officials. The European Commission is still considering a number of options on the future provision of scientific advice to the European Commission and has indicated it will make an announcement before the summer.

Ministry of Justice

Magna Carta

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 12 February (HL4585), whether they will publish a list of countries invited to the Global Law Summit, and of those represented at the conference.

Lord Faulks: We will not be providing a further list of attendees over and above the delegate list already produced by the Global Law Summit for the event itself. Official invitations were issued to all EU and Commonwealth countries, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, and a list of countries drawn up by the Board of the Global Law Summit. Of these, approximately 65 countries, Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies sent delegations which included Justice Ministers, Attorneys General, Chief Justices or representatives of equivalent seniority. In total delegates registered for the summit from 110 countries, Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.

Ministry of Defence

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, from 2001–02 to the latest year for which data are available, what was the annual track mileage figure for (1) Foxhound, (2) Ridgeback, (3) Mastiff, (4) Jackal, (5) Coyote, (6) Wolfhound, (7) Warthog, (8) Husky, (9) Snatch Vixen, (10) Vector, and (11) Panther, Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

Lord Astor of Hever: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Cats

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any assessment of the Cat Manifesto published by Cats Protection in February 2015.

Lord De Mauley: The Government welcomes the work of Cats Protection in promoting responsible ownership of cats and its dedication to improving the welfare of cats. The manifesto highlights a number of current concerns and the Government would welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues with Cats Protection in due course.

Common Agricultural Policy

The Earl of Caithness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to European Commissioner Hogan’s request for ideas on how to simplify the Common Agricultural Policy.

Lord De Mauley: The UK response to Commissioner Hogan’s request to Member States for ideas and suggestions on simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was submitted on 3 March. The response has been prepared in conjunction with the Devolved Administrations and following wide consultation across the UK farming industry. It sets out a number of ideas that meet the criteria set out in the Commissioner’s request, which are immediate, practical and non-legislative changes. We have also submitted a table of issues as a basis to inform future legislative change, as that will be required to genuinely simplify the CAP.   I have placed a copy, both of the response and table of the UK’s CAP simplification priorities and issues, in the House library.

Reptiles

Lord Trees: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage adoption of the Code of Practice for Reptiles developed by the British Veterinary Zoological Society.

Lord De Mauley: I am delighted that the hard work and co-operation of keepers, industry and welfare organisations has led to the development of the Good Practice Guidelines for the Welfare of Privately Kept Reptiles and Amphibians. Along with the six care sheets for six of the commonly kept species, we hope this code will provide valuable information to promote the welfare of these animals and encourage keepers to source captive bred animals wherever possible. The Government will explore with the interested parties how the code can be best promoted. I am placing copies of the documents in the libraries of the House.

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

Lord Trees: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions were made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in the last year for which complete records are available; and who instigated those prosecutions.

Lord De Mauley: 1,894 defendants were proceeded against at magistrates’ courts in England and Wales for offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in 2013 (latest available).   The Ministry of Justice court proceedings database cannot separately identify whether or not a prosecution is brought by the Crown Prosecution Service, or by a private authority. This information may be held by the relevant courts in England and Wales, and can only be discerned at disproportionate cost.

Food: Production

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent research from the National Farmers' Union on the decline in food production in the United Kingdom and its impact on food security.

Lord De Mauley: This Government is committed to helping UK food producers thrive and expand. We are working with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and others to support a competitive UK farming industry, including through our £160 million investment in applied research under the agri-tech strategy, as well as the new Rural Development Programme for England, which includes £141 million dedicated to improving agricultural productivity.

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 9 December 2013 (WA 80), what is their current assessment of the compliance of the Republic of Ireland and Denmark with the sow stall ban under European Union Directive 2008/120/EC; which other European Union countries remain non-compliant with the ban; whether any infringement proceedings have commenced, and if so, what conclusions have been reached; and whether they will now negotiate a ban on the import of pig meat from European Union countries which are in breach of this Directive.

Lord De Mauley: In 2013, the European Commission launched infringement cases against six countries which failed to comply with the partial sow stall ban which came into force on 1 January 2013. The Commission has not publically released any further information on Member State’s levels of compliance, nor disclosed any detailed information relating to the on-going infringement cases. There are no marketing rules to prevent imports from non-compliant systems, nor can Member States impose unilateral trade restrictions for welfare reasons.

Home Office

Islam

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to sponsor a conference on the nature of Islam, and the use of Islam by extremists to justify their actions.

Lord Bates: We continue to work with a range of community and faith groups to explore concerns across all forms of extremism including Islamist extremism – although we have no plans to sponsor a specific conference. Our work promotes the moderate voices of the vast majority of Muslims and of other faiths across the country who oppose the poisonous rhetoric of extremists.Last Autumn, the Home Secretary announced a new counter-extremism strategy that goes beyond violence and terrorism. The strategy will aim to build up the public sector and civil society to identify extremism in all its forms, confront it, challenge and defeat it. Although overseen by the Home Office, its implementation will be the responsibility of the whole of government and the public sector, and wider civil society.

Smuggling

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to implement the recommendations of Committee A of the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly entitled "Cross-border Police Cooperation and Illicit Trade" published in February 2015.

Lord Bates: These are matters that are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Department of Justice.

Mediterranean Sea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many migrants they estimate to have died while crossing the Mediterranean Sea during the past year; from which countries they have been travelling; and what measures are being taken to discuss their situation with the United Kingdom's international partners.

Lord Bates: The majority of migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean in the past year are reported to have travelled from countries in Africa and from the Middle East. The Government has not made an estimate as to the number of people who have drowned attempting the crossing in that period, as such estimates are extremely difficult to make with any degree of certainty.All deaths of this nature are a matter of extreme regret and the Government is determined to do all it can with international partners to reduce the flow of illegal migrants taking such risks and to combat the organised criminals who are making huge profits by exploiting vulnerable people. The Government is taking action at a national and international level to find sustainable solutions, for example through regional protection initiatives and the new Khartoum Process, a joint EU and African Union initiative supporting dialogue and concrete cooperation to tackle people smuggling and human trafficking in the Horn of Africa. The situation is also discussed regularly by Ministers at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council, as well as in other multilateral and bilateral meetings.

Asylum: Finance

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their estimated annual cost for administering the Azure Card scheme is inclusive of the costs of applicants transitioning from support under section 95 to section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Lord Bates: The Azure card is provided to failed asylum seekers supported under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The estimated costs of administering the card do not include the costs of assessing applications for section 4 support, including applications from persons previously on section 95 support.

Heathrow Airport

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the outcome of the work by Detention Operations and Border Force with Heathrow Airports Limited on temporary alternatives for the spaces currently used for ebola screening at Heathrow, which had been designated as short-term holding facilities.

Lord Bates: Border Force has recently negotiated an agreement with Public Health England (PHE) for use of their accommodation at Terminals 3, 4 and 5 as temporary holding room space. PHE accommodation at T3 and T5 will be shared with Detention Operations, while the accommodation at T4 will be entirely vacated. Heathrow Airport Limited, in conjunction with Detention Operations and Border Force, is working with their contractor to finalise the specifications for each temporary holding room.Discussions are now taking place to determine the phasing of this work and associated timescales.

Heathrow Airport

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they now expect to begin the refurbishment of short-term holding facilities at Heathrow Terminal 4; and if no firm date can be named, whether they will provide showers within the existing facilities.

Lord Bates: The design for a new facility at Heathrow Terminal 4 has been agreed but is still subject to contractor agreement and final sign off.During the course of the work, space currently occupied by Public Health England will be converted into a temporary holding room. Heathrow Airport Limited, Border Force and Detention Operations are currently finalising the specifications for this temporary facility. The current planned design for this interim facility includes a shower.

Cybercrime

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will promote an effective global institutional framework to counter cybercrime across frontiers.

Lord Bates: The Government is committed to tackling cybercrime internationally, and has taken a number of steps to support international cooperation in this area. The UK strongly supports the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime which we ratified in 2011, as the main global framework for effective international cooperation to tackle cybercrime. The Convention is open to all countries, and we encourage them to accede to it.The Government is firmly focused on developing practical cooperation and capacity to tackle cybercrime through existing institutions, rather than developing additional international treaties. The UK leads international efforts to raise global cyber resilience through our £2 million per year capacity-building programme, working with the National Crime Agency and multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe and others, to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the threat from cyber crime.

HM Treasury

Government Securities

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to review the action of gilt-edged market makers in respect of securities bought under the quantitative easing programme.

Lord Deighton: The Treasury does not have any plans to review the action of gilt-edged market makers in respect of securities bought under the quantitative easing programme. Any alleged market abuse would be for the Serious Fraud Office or the Financial Conduct Authority to investigate.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Geothermal Power

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to support the development of geothermal energy.

Baroness Verma: The Government is supporting geothermal energy development through a combination of financial support, innovation support and legislative measures. Deep geothermal heat projects receive a dedicative tariff through the Renewable Heat Incentive and by supporting the development of heat networks, including through the work and funding of the Heat Networks Delivery Unit. Geothermal power projects are eligible for support under the Renewable Obligation and in the future through Contracts for Difference. The Department has set a final strike price for deep geothermal power of £145 per megawatt hour, up until 2016/17, and £140 per megawatt hour thereafter.The Government is providing support for innovation in geothermal technologies through DECC’s Energy Entrepreneurs Fund and the Heat Networks Demonstration Competition.The underground access clauses introduced through the Infrastructure Act remove a significant barrier to deep geothermal development. The Government will continue to work with the industry to explore how other barriers to geothermal development can be overcome to further support the industry’s development.

Coal: Mining

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of Poland's proposal to provide state subsidies for its coal mines; and whether they will oppose such moves.

Baroness Verma: The European Commission is responsible for determining the compatibility of national measures with European Union state aid rules. In this case we understand that the Polish Government is holding discussions with the European Commission regarding their state aid notification.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Young People

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 24 February (HL4934), what direct voter registration work the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are undertaking, or planning to undertake, with schools, further education colleges, apprentice and trainee providers and universities in advance of the 2015 General Election registration deadline on 20 April 2015.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Citizenship education is in the revised national curriculum, taught from September 2014. At key stage 4, pupils should be taught the different electoral systems in and beyond the United Kingdom and about the actions citizens can take in democratic and electoral processes to influence decisions locally, nationally and beyond. The Government is investing £530,000 to encourage students to register to vote to be shared by the NUS, Sixth Form Colleges Association, Active Citizens FE and the National Association of Managers of Student Services. This is the latest in a series of measures in this Parliament to maximise student registration. Additionally, a national competition for student unions to find the best ideas to get students to register to vote will be run by the National Union of Students (NUS).

Government Departments: Advertising

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of government-placed advertising, including information and advice advertisements, in each of the last five years in (1) print media, (2) television, and (3) radio, broken down by government department.

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of government-placed advertising, including information and advice advertisements, in each of the last five years, broken down by issue or purpose of advertisement.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Department is responsible for cross-Government communication as set out in the Annual Government Communication Plan. As part of our long-term economic plan we have substantially reformed Government communications since the 2010 General Election, abolishing the Central Office of Information and ensuring that Government communications activity is better coordinated and more effective.  Thanks to these reforms we have halved the cost to taxpayers of government communications since the 2010 General Election.  The NAO has confirmed that Government made savings of £378 million in each of the last two financial years on proactive paid-for communications, compared to a 2009-10 baseline. This is based on proactive (paid-for) communications spend of £589m in 09/10, £216m in 12/13 and £210m in 13/14.  My department regularly publishes data on: www.data.gov.uk showing how public money has been spent and how government is performing against its objectives and goals. Information on individual Departments advertising budgets and spend is not held centrally.

Department of Health

Doctors

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 23 February (HL4785) concerning gender balance in the National Health Service, whether the figures stated are actual numbers or full-time equivalents.

Earl Howe: As stated in the answer on 23 February 2015 (HL4785), the figures provided for how many doctors were employed by the National Health Service by gender were headcount not full-time equivalent.

Soft Drinks: Children

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recommendation that energy drinks should be banned for children under 16.

Earl Howe: The Government does not intend to ban the sale of energy drinks which may be high in sugar or caffeine to children under 16 years of age.   Under the Public Health Responsibility Deal many businesses have reduced sugar in soft drinks. We are awaiting the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s final report on Carbohydrates and Health due to be published in late spring 2015 which will, together with advice from Public Health England on sugar reduction, inform the Government’s future thinking on sugar reduction.   Regarding caffeine, the Food Standards Agency’s advice is that children, or other people sensitive to caffeine, should only consume it in moderation. There are specific legislative requirements for these drinks to be labelled so that consumers are informed of their high caffeine content.   The European Food Safety Authority is evaluating the safety of caffeine and will consider whether recommended intake levels for the general population, or sub groups such as children should be established.

NHS: Staff

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the sufficiency of staffing in the National Health Service in relation to the increase in population; and what they consider to be the reasons for any shortfall.

Earl Howe: The latest monthly workforce statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that as at November 2014 there were over 500,000 (full-time equivalent) clinical staff working in the National Health Service, an increase of nearly 23,200 since May 2010.   It is not for the Government but for local NHS organisations to decide whether they have sufficient numbers of staff, and they are best placed to do this based on the needs of their patients, demand for services and the best skill mix to serve their local community.   It is the responsibility of Health Education England (HEE) to ensure sufficient staff are available to meet demand, through its investment in education and training. The views of providers on the nature and number of the workforce they intend to employ, based on local provider plans is central to HEE’s planning for how it invests its training resources.

Camphill Village Trust

Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the compliance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 by Camphill Village Trust Limited with regard to the service provision changes being made at nine of its communities in which people with a learning disability currently live alongside volunteer co-workers.

Earl Howe: The Department has not undertaken such an assessment.   The Department understands that Camphill Village Trust Limited (CVT) is making changes to service provision at its communities in England in order to ensure safe and high quality care and to ensure its compliance with all relevant legislation. These decisions are a matter for CVT.   The Care Quality Commission monitors providers’ compliance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.